On-line multiplayer gaming is a growing consumer market that is projected to expand as broadband access becomes more pervasive in households. The allure of on-line gaming is the availability of games on demand and the ability to match up against opponents from all over the globe.
Many on-line game providers sponsor on-line game servers that allow players to log in and join games at any time. For example, players may participate in games involving sports, warfare, adventure, and science fiction themes. Such servers give providers the ability to promote their games and products.
One disadvantage of current on-line gaming environments is that player to player communications, such as audio and voice communications, are limited. Furthermore, any voice communications in such environments do not provide much realism associated with gaming environments that model, for example, sounds associated with dynamically changing physical environments.
Accordingly, what is needed are techniques for providing enhanced and more realistic voice and audio communications in interactive environments.